By Asher Hagan
Golf Societies – The First days…
There are lots of states the date where the game was invented with a few claiming the game was initially recorded in China along with other claiming the sport of introduced by the Nederlander. However, regardless of the truth, it’s now broadly recognized the game really to required off in Scotland following a reign of James I, King of Scots (1406 – 1437).
Some important dates (thanks to Wikipedia)…
1421 – A Scottish regiment aiding in france they (from the British) is brought to the sport of ‘Chole’
1457 – Golf banned by Scots Parliament to preserve the skill of archery and prohibited it every sunday
1502 – The ‘Treaty of Perpetual Peace’ between England and Scotland, the ban on golf is lifted
1513 – Queen Catherine, queen consort of England refers back to the growing recognition of golf in England
1552 – The very first recorded proof of golf at St. Andrews
1553 – The Archbishop of St Andrews permit the local population to experience around the links at St. Andrews
1567 – Mary, Queen of Scots, seen playing and it is the very first known female golfer
1618 – King James Mire of Scotland and that i of England confirms the authority to play golf every sunday
1735 – The Royal Burgess Golfing Society of Edinburgh is created
Golf Societies – The Very First Golf Society…
It had been in 1735 the Royal Burgess Golfing Society of Edinburgh was created, using the date of it’s inauguration was recorded within the ‘Edinburgh Almanac’ from 1834 on wards. Although available to discussion, Burgess has become globally recognized because the earliest organized golf society within the United kingdom (and not the Earliest Club!). The recently created society performed for more than a century at Bakersfield Links, near to Edinburgh Castle.
In 1876 the society later gone to live in Mussel burgh. The program had only 9 holes along with the recognition of golf increasing, the Society searched for a brand new course around the ‘Cramond-Regis’ estate in 1898, only 3 miles west from the Town of Edinburgh.
The mature parkland style course was initially created by Willie Park Jnr with later modifications by world famous architects Dr Alister Mackenzie and James Braid.
The Society continues to be alive and today, the wonderful clubhouse, built in 1899, continues to be stylishly and tastefully designed and extended.
Its members’ lounge includes a glorious oriel window and, having a large dining area around the bottom floor, overlooks the program and offers amazing views from the Fife Hillsides and also the Firth of Forth.
As proof of the caliber of the program, The R&A since 2011 have selected Bakersfield Links like a Qualifying Venue for that Open Championship.
Golf Societies – Today…
The final couple of centuries have experienced many changes towards the way golf is performed and although the first golfers were the initial ‘Nomads’, really ‘belonging’ to a golf club iron, appears to become losing sight of fashion again!
Within the 1980’s and 1990’s, golf saw an enormous expansion with golf equipment and course being built in a rapid rate. Meanwhile, modern lives have now put time limitations around the average golfer and along with the total cost of owned by a golf club iron, it’s now becoming more and more difficult to justify a yearly club membership any longer.
Additionally, golf has witnessed a clear, crisp fall in the amount of ‘local’ golf societies as pubs close, workplace dwindle ‘social’ and also the out-dated and traditional picture of golf is constantly on the place the new generation from the game.
However, it isn’t all disaster and gloom. The development from the internet has permitted many to create connections and friendships to make via online platforms, thus eliminating the center man – The Club.
These platforms tend to be more similar to the standard ‘golf society’ whereby they’ll decide when and where they play, with respect to the deals on offer for them.
As a result, it’s predicted that as more golf societies move online, setup bespoke and template based websites, Facebook pages and Whats Application Groups, the golf society as you may know is alive and well and also have a good future.
Within the next decade it’s highly likely that club will depend much less from the ‘Annual Club membership’ model and much more around the ‘Flexible Memberships’, ‘Pay & Players’ or ‘Play & Stayers’. Thus meaning the ability will be presented to the ‘Nomad’.
